Digital Commons Network^™

“What Credit Is That To You?” The Social Context Of Moneylending In Medieval England A Comparative Study 1340-1509, Elizabeth Ann Green

LSU Master's Theses

This study makes use of the manorial court rolls of Dyffryn Clwyd, a cantref in Northern Wales, and the certificates of debt from London to examine the lives of two medieval usurers, Ieuan Kery and Sir William Capell, between the years 1340 to 1352 , and 1478 to 1509 . By examining the life of these two individuals who both operated one of the rarest, most socially complex occupations of his place and time, this study begins to expose the ways in which usury helped to shape the fabric of late Medieval culture in the British Isles. The singular focus …

A Verified Information-Flow Architecture, Arthur Azevedo De Amorim, Nathan Collins, André Dehon, Delphine Demange, Cătălin Hriţcu, David Pichardie, Benjamin C. Pierce, Randy Pollack, Andrew Tolmach

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

SAFE is a clean-slate design for a highly secure computer system, with pervasive mechanisms for tracking and limiting information flows. At the lowest level, the SAFE hardware supports fine-grained programmable tags, with efficient and flexible propagation and combination of tags as instructions are executed. The operating system virtualizes these generic facilities to present an information-flow abstract machine that allows user programs to label sensitive data with rich confidentiality policies. We present a formal, machine-checked model of the key hardware and software mechanisms used to dynamically control information flow in SAFE and an end-to-end proof of noninterference for this model. We …

The Latino Voter Registration Dilemma, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

This special report in partnership with CNN en Espanol examined changes in the Latino electorate, registered voters, and voters in the U.S. and key swing states between 1992 and 2016. Methods: Data were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration, as a part of the Current Population Survey data from the November Voter Supplements. The 2016 estimates were derived by using the yearly percentage rate of increase between 2004 and 2012. Results: The absolute number of Latinos eligible to vote, registered, and who voted grew dramatically. Yet the rates of Latino voter registration were almost exactly the same …

Madagascar’S Mangroves: Quantifying Nation-Wide And Ecosystem Specific Dynamics, And Detailed Contemporary Mapping Of Distinct Ecosystems, Trevor G. Jones, Leah Glass, Samir Gandhi, Lalao Ravaoarinorotsihoarana, Aude Carro, Lisa Benson, Harifidy Rakoto Ratsimba, Chandra Giri, Dannick Randriamanatena, Garth Cripps

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mangrove ecosystems help mitigate climate change, are highly biodiverse, and provide critical goods and services to coastal communities. Despite their importance, anthropogenic activities are rapidly degrading and deforesting mangroves world-wide. Madagascar contains 2% of the world’s mangroves, many of which have undergone or are starting to exhibit signs of widespread degradation and deforestation. Remotely sensed data can be used to quantify mangrove loss and characterize remaining distributions, providing detailed, accurate, timely and updateable information. We use USGS maps produced from Landsat data to calculate nation-wide dynamics for Madagascar’s mangroves from 1990 to 2010, and examine change more closely by partitioning …

Resident Perceptions Of Natural Resources Between Cities And Across Scales In The Pacific Northwest, Anita T. Morzillo, Betty J. Kreakie, Noelwah R. Netusil, J. Alan Yeakley

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the global population becomes increasingly urban, research is needed to explore how local culture, land use, and policy will influence urban natural resource management. We used a broad-scale comparative approach and survey of residents within the Portland (Oregon)-Vancouver (Washington) metropolitan areas, USA, two states with similar geographical and ecological characteristics, but different approaches to land-use planning, to explore resident perceptions about natural resources at three scales of analysis: property level (“at or near my house”), neighborhood (“within a 20-minute walk from my house”), and metro level (“across the metro area”). At the metro-level scale, nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed that …

Climate And Bark Beetle Effects On Forest Productivity — Linking Dendroecology With Forest Landscape Modeling, Alec M. Kretchun, E. Louise Loudermilk, Robert M. Scheller, Matthew Hurteau, Soumaya Belmecher

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In forested systems throughout the world, climate influences tree growth and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). The effects of extreme climate events (i.e., drought) on ANPP can be compounded by biotic factors (e.g., insect outbreaks). Understanding the contribution of each of these influences on growth requires information at multiple spatial scales and is essential for understanding regional forest response to changing climate. The mixed conifer forests of the Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada, provide an opportunity to analyze biotic and abiotic influences on ANPP. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of moisture stress (climatic water deficit, CWD) and …

Opacidad, Disciplina, Latinoamericanismo, Fernando Degiovanni

Publications and Research

Entender el impacto de los conflictos bélicos europeos de fines de la década de 1930 y comienzos de la de 1940 en la configuración del latinoamericanismo académico -particularmente en su rama literaria- es todavía una tarea pendiente para la crítica. El cierre del Centro de Estudios Históricos de Madrid a raíz del estallido de la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939), por un lado, y la consolidación de Hitler en el poder, por otro, crearan una de las coyunturas más consecuentes para la historia la disciplina a lo largo del siglo xx. Ambas circunstancias son inseparables del rol que Estados Unidos desempeñó …

The Trouble With White Feminism: Whiteness, Digital Feminism And The Intersectional Internet, Jessie Daniels

Publications and Research

In August, 2013 Mikki Kendall, writer and pop culture analyst, started the hashtag #SolidarityisforWhiteWomen as a form of cyberfeminist activism directed at the predominantly white feminist activists and bloggers at sites like Feministing, Jezebel and Pandagon who failed to acknowledge the racist, sexist behavior of one their frequent contributors. Kendall’s hashtag activism quickly began trending and reignited a discussion about the trouble with white feminism. A number of journalists have excoriated Kendall specifically, and women of color more generally, for contributing to a “toxic” form of feminism. Yet what remains unquestioned in these journalistic accounts and in the scholarship to …

Zines In The Classroom: Critical Librarianship And Participatory Collections, Robin Potter, Alycia Sellie

Publications and Research

This lesson plan outlines using zines in a library classroom with a critical pedagogy approach. It was written based upon the teaching each author did with the Brooklyn College Library Zine Collection.

Burnout And Depression: Two Entities Or One, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the overlap in burnout and depression. Method: The sample comprised 1,386 schoolteachers (mean age = 43; mean years taught = 15; 77% women) from 18 different U.S. states. We assessed burnout, using the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure, and depression, using the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire. Results: Treated dimensionally, burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated (.77; disattenuated correlation, .84). Burnout and depressive symptoms were similarly correlated with each of 3 stress-related factors, stressful life events, job adversity, and workplace support. In categorical analyses, 86% of the teachers identified as …

Burnout In Firefighters: A Word On Methodology, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

At least three methodological problems affect the study by Katsavouni et al. (2016). First, there are currently no diagnostic criteria for burnout, neither in the DSM-5, nor in the ICD-10. Second, one extremely important variable was omitted from this study of firefighters, namely, depression. Third, the authors did not control for relevant nonoccupational factors such as stressors occurring outside of work.

Field Issue 3, Grant Kester

FIELD: A Journal of Socially-Engaged Art Criticism

From https://field-journal.com/, where you can also find current issues of FIELD:

"ISSN 2694-0094

We are living through a singular cultural moment in which the conventional relationship between art and the social world, and between artist and viewer, is being questioned and renegotiated. FIELD responds to the remarkable proliferation of new artistic practices devoted to forms of political, social and cultural transformation. Frequently collaborative in nature, this work is being produced by artists and art collectives throughout North, South and Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia. While otherwise quite diverse, it is driven by a common desire to establish new …

Collective Intervention: An Analysis Of The Political Issues Regarding Secession, Self-Determination, And Sovereignty In The Republic Of Kosovo, Benjamin Werthan

University Honors Theses

In 2008, the Republic of Kosovo, after years of war and internal conflicts between the ethnic Albanians and Serbians who lived in the territory, finally received status as an independent state. The process was long and even after declaring independence the Republic still had to fight for such recognition. This thesis explores that process, starting with the years prior to the Yugoslav Wars, through the Republic of Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence and the subsequent International Court of Justice advisory opinion. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concepts of self-determination and state sovereignty with regard to the actions …

Who Matters?: Effective Classroom Management Strategies For Multicultural Elementary Education, Erica Bailey-Ramos

University Honors Theses

Current classroom management procedures, which are dominated by white affluent culture, are not conducive to effectively teaching the increasingly growing diverse school population. Differing backgrounds in a classroom are often viewed as deficits that teachers need to correct instead of individual strengths that add to the classroom knowledge. Currently, the public education system is making students conform to the school culture, instead of the school changing to reflect the community. Multicultural education is for all students, preparing them for the real world by teaching tolerance, acceptance, and learning through multiple perspectives. Current research agrees that a shift in management techniques …

Meditation And Mindfulness: Combatting Negative Mindsets And Mental Health Afflictions While Promoting Positives Such As Confidence And General Well-Being, Charlotte R. Dicharry

University Honors Theses

Popular opinion holds that meditation and mindfulness render positive effects. However, minimal empirical evidence has been submitted except in the last seven years that it has gained attention. This study uses data from these recent years to gather a concise view of the effects of meditation and mindfulness practices in combatting anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem as well as the increase in positives such as confidence and general well-being.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. has been promoting meditation and mindfulness as treatment for stress since the 1980s. He has applied the practice to physical ailments as well as mental maladies (Kabat-Zinn, 2014b). …

Gertrude's Lazy Susan, Emily Griffin

University Honors Theses

A collection of poetry in conjunction with a critical analysis of Gertrude Stein's Tender Button, this work examines concepts of coherence and value as they apply to experimental literature. The collection of poems explores personal, domestic spaces and the ways in which external forces are exerted upon them.

Preventing Campus Sexual Assault: Evaluating Studies Of Male Offender Prevention Programs And Determining Best Practices, Cam Tu Tran

University Honors Theses

Campus sexual assault is becoming a highly publicized issue, with the U.S. White House recently releasing a report urging universities to improve prevention efforts through systematic evaluations, policies, reporting procedures, and victim support (U.S. White House Task Force, 2014). Although these recent headlines have focused attention on universities’ responses to sexual assault, research in prevention program effectiveness has been conducted in university settings for over 30 years. This thesis focuses on past research in primary prevention in facilitated educational trainings for college men. This thesis reviews studies on interventions implemented on college campuses by exploring the most effective practices, and …

Downtown Revitalized, Community Organized: A Comparative Analysis Of Tulsa, Oklahoma And Portland, Oregon, Amber Wagoner

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the relation between successful revitalization efforts and community engagement initiatives. The cities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Portland, Oregon are compared on their most recent planning documents related to their downtown and/or central city. In 2010, The City of Tulsa adopted the Tulsa Comprehensive Plan, as well as the Downtown Area Master Plan (DAMP). These documents began a new era of revitalization after decades of disinterest and neglect for Tulsa’s downtown area. Portland’s revitalization efforts date back to the 1972 Downtown Plan. The plan launched participatory planning policies and inspired enthusiasm for a vibrant central city that continues …

Trespass, Veronika Ivanova

University Honors Theses

Controversial artworks are relentlessly defended by art critics, who frequently downplay their disturbing emotional affect. Against an overwhelming consensus to the contrary, this essay will propose that ethical analysis is an effective and critically revealing method of engaging with contemporary transgressive art. It will argue that in favoring conceptual rather than emotional reactions, commentators fail to fully engage with the work they promote. Far from clouding our judgement, shame, outrage, and revulsion are the very emotions that artworks can set out to evoke. I am specifically interested in artists that challenge the attitude of aesthetic disinterestedness through engaging our moral …

The Role Of Portland State University As A Community Partner In Addressing Homelessness, Jennifer Hoskins

University Honors Theses

This paper explores the role of Portland State University as a community partner in addressing the issue of homelessness. The research includes a literature review, findings from a 10-month participant observation study, and interviews with community and academic leaders. The findings from the study focus on community needs, which include having a citizenry educated on issues of poverty and homelessness; having vocal support for public policies that serve people who are homeless; insight from research; and having labor to get work done. The research findings also focus on university needs, which include classroom curriculum centered on poverty and homelessness; service …

Language Sample Length Effects On Various Lexical Diversity Measures: An Analysis Of Spanish Language Samples From Children, Morgan Stills

University Honors Theses

Purpose: various studies have assessed whether lexical diversity in language samples is a useful clinical tool for assessing language abilities. However, not all studies used the same measure of lexical diversity indices or sample demographic. Therefore it is unclear which lexical diversity indices work best when analyzing Spanish language samples. The current study aimed to compare validity evidence for five lexical diversity measures based on Spanish language samples. Specifically it assessed how changes in language-sample length influenced each measure. The most accurate lexical diversity measures were expected to yield similar estimates for a given child across language samples that differed …

Communication Methods In Healthcare For Latinos With Limited English Proficiency: Physician Language Concordance And Children As Translators, Katie Castellanos

University Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis was to examine the primary methods of communication that Latinos with limited English proficiency (LEP) use when professional translators are not available. Latinos constitute 17% of the United States population, 64% of which have limited English proficiency. A literature review was conducted to identify research done in regards to children as translators and physician language concordance. Two themes of communication for Latinos with LEP in the absence of professional translators emerged from the literature review: the use of children as translators, and reliance on physician language concordance. Providers should take caution when working with these …

Mills And Veblen: An Institutional Analysis, Matthew Klosterman

University Honors Theses

This inquiry considers and also seeks to establish theoretical relationships between the thinking and contributions of Thorstein Veblen and C. Wright Mills. Selected writings of Veblen have not only formed new approaches to the discipline of Economics, but also influenced prominent scholars, like Mills. In his contributions, Veblen employs various approaches to social science analysis, such as use of dichotomy (Veblenian Dichotomy), subreption, and cumulative causation in his efforts to describe social change within an evolutionary-institutionalist framework. While not being explicit, some contributions of Mills utilize similar approaches advanced earlier by Veblen. In summary, Mills’ contributions to sociology appear to …

Queering Sugar: Kara Walker’S Sugar Sphinx And The Intractability Of Black Female Sexuality, Amber Jamilla Musser

Publications and Research

This essay analyzes the controversy surrounding artist Kara Walker’s 2014 installation, A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, to unpack the pleasures and dangers that subtend discussions of black female sexuality. What Walker announced as a tribute to the labor of brown and black bodies produced myriad conversations about pleasure, danger, and black female sexuality. Most art critics argued that the piece reclaimed black female agency; many visitors criticized the work (and the public response to it) as disrespectful and problematic. In the essay, I argue that both of these responses highlight the difficulty of talking about black female …

Differences In How Boomers And Millennials Experience Listening To Recorded Music, Pablo Saldana

University Honors Theses

Music is present in people’s lives. This work looks at cultural changes among two generations, the Baby Boomers and Millennials. Furthermore, there is a focus on values held by each generation when it comes to recorded music. Through textual analyses, claims are made about consumer habits, preferences, and relationships with music held by these distinct generations.

Standing On The Street Corners Of Capitalism : Translations Of Tawara Machi's Chocolate Revolution Tanka, Jared Ridabock

University Honors Theses

This thesis contains original translations of the first three rensaku of best selling author Tawara Machi's 1997 tanka collection Chocolate Revolution. In it, Tawara's work is examined from a critical lens developed by Dean Brink, arguing that while her poetry is subsumed within the language of capitalist consumer society, it's engagement with absurd moments therein creates an opportunity for resistance for readers. While this thesis initially agrees with Brink's assessment of Tawara as an apolitical writer, it suggests that recent works published to social media by Tawara Machi may show a deviation from her apolitical stance and discusses the effect …

Gretchen Kafoury: The Personal Is Political, Corinne Rupp

University Honors Theses

Gretchen Kafoury (June 23, 1942 – March 13, 2015) was a Portland politician whose personal ideals formed the backbone of her lengthy career in public service. While an avowed liberal and feminist, Kafoury recognized the need to work across political boundaries in order to get things done. She dedicated her time and voice to communities she saw as underserved, and helped build and protect a social safety net in all her elected positions.

The exhibit created from the Special Collections Archives housing her documents highlighted her political life and achievements, from her earliest days as a grassroots organizer for women’s …

Teaching The Middle East In Portland Public High Schools, Nicholas C. Jenkins

University Honors Theses

This paper examines the ways in which the Middle East is taught to high school students in Portland Public School. Specifically, it focuses on the required history courses, Modern World History and United States History for Freshman and Juniors, respectively. Beginning with a definition of the Middle East, this paper starts by placing itself and the author within a discourse community of educators, historians, and writers who discuss the issues with incorporating multiple points of view into their curriculum. After a discussion of the methods by which the data was collected, this paper concludes by offering a description of that …

Color Associations As Advertising Strategies: An Analysis Of Consumer Attitudes Toward The Healthfulness Of Energy Bar Packaging, Rachel Lotz

University Honors Theses

Color plays a strong role in shaping consumers’ attitude toward brands, expectations, and likeability in the field of advertising. Associations with colors are formed within consumers’ culture and are often universal in meaning. Through three studies, the role of color in relationship to perceived healthfulness on energy bar packaging is observed. The results show a strong correlation between a particular color associated with healthfulness due to preconceived color associations often highlighted in advertising strategies. However the results raised unexpected, yet insightful correlations with other colors, which participants identified as healthy. When participants were asked to pick the energy bar that …

What Do Physicians Know About Global Plans To Stop Tuberculosis? Interviews From Five Countries, Hannah Johnson

University Honors Theses

Tuberculosis ranks alongside HIV as the leading cause of death worldwide. This fact is complicated by drug-resistant versions of tuberculosis. Furthermore, the limited availability and high cost of stronger antibiotics creates a barrier to treating drug-resistant tuberculosis. In 2000, the United Nations organized to fight tuberculosis via Millennium Development Goal six and the Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis. In an effort to understand limitations on the effectiveness of global programs, this research addresses the following question: What do physicians know about global programs for TB? Mixed methods, involving both quantitative and qualitative data, were used to obtain the results of …